1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an IC card connector, and more particularly, to an IC card connector mounted in a small processing unit such as a note-type personal computer and a small word processor using an IC card as an external storage device, and used to load the IC card into the processing unit and electrically connect the IC card to the processing unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, there are many small processing units such as note-type personal computers and small word processors which use the IC card as an external storage device in addition to, or instead of a floppy disk device in order to make the processing unit small. The small processing unit employing the IC card is provided with an IC card connector as described in, for example, "Component Product Information, Aviation Electronic", No. 004, published by Japan Aviation Electronic Industry on October, 1988.
A conventional IC card connector includes a body having a guide along which the IC card is loaded or inserted into the body and a slide plate mounted slidably on an upper surface or a lower surface of the body. The body is provided with many terminal electrodes called as pins for electrically connecting the IC card to the processing unit. On the other hand, the IC card includes receiving terminals with which the pins of the IC card connector are engaged when the IC card is inserted into the IC card connector.
When an operator uses the IC card, the operator inserts the IC card into the body of the IC card connector slidingly along the guide of the body and advances the IC card until the pins are inserted into the receiving terminals to load or connect the IC card to the IC card connector. When the IC card is to be taken out, the operator presses a push button for ejection. Thus, the slide plate is moved by a predetermined stroke and the IC card engaged with the slide plate is moved away from the body, so that the pins are entirely separated from the receiving terminals of the IC card. Accordingly, the operator can easily pull out the IC card from the IC card connector. In this manner, the IC card connector can be employed to easily insert and remove the IC card easily easily without damage of any of the many pins.
It is desirable to make the small processing unit such as the note-type personal computer thinner for convenience in carrying, and accordingly the research and development for making various elements thinner thereof are made. Hence, it is important that the IC card connector which is one of the elements of the small processing unit, be made thinner.